Introduction

Two write-shops to finalize the drafts of the FISHGOV II Project proposal and Africa Fisheries Report with partners was organized by the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the NEPAD Agency with support from the European Union from the 18th to 21st June, 2018 in Naivasha, Kenya.

The objectives of the write-shops were to:

Review and finalize the proposal for second phase of the Fisheries Governance Project (FISHGOV II) in collaboration with the proposed partners of the project.

Final Review and Compilation of the final draft of the First African Fisheries Report. The latter is a sequel to the outputs of the consultative Meeting on the formulation of Africa Fisheries Report which was held on the 5th to 6th September 2017 at the AU-IBAR offices in Nairobi, Kenya as well as the Expert Consultative Workshop on Preparation of African Fisheries Report from 22nd to 26th January, 2018 in Naivasha, Kenya

There were 10 participants who undertook to finalize the FISHGOV II Project proposal. The participants were from WorldFish, NEPAD and AU-IBAR. Three of the co-authors to the Africa Fisheries and Aquaculture Report participated in the second write-shop to the final draft of this report. The Cardno Technical Assistant on Fisheries Governance to the FISHGOV I project and AU-IBAR also participated in the write-shops and formulation process of the FishGov 2.

Dr. Simplice Nouala, the Head of the Animal Production Unit at AU-IBAR, on behalf of the Director AU-IBAR welcomed the participants to the workshops. In his remarks, he provided the participants with a brief overview of the purpose of the workshops and of their value for maintaining the momentum with regards to progress made by the First Fisheries Governance Project (FishGov1) and Fish Trade project and also of evaluating Africa’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Reforms process.

The workshop

The Write-Shop to Finalise the FISHGOV II Project Proposal

The write-shop to finalize the FISHGOV II Project Proposal was facilitated by Dr. Simplice Nouala and Mr. Rasugu Kennedy Oroko, the Senior Planning Expert of Projects and Programmes Unit at AU-IBAR. Senior Personnel from the Finance Department of AU-IBAR were also present at the meeting for formulation of the FishGov 2 project.

A participatory approach, centered on discussions, was adopted for the deliberations. Presentations were given on the accomplishments and lessons learnt from the FISHGOV I and the previous Fish Trade Projects by Dr. Mohamed Seisay the Senior Fisheries Office (AU-IBAR) and Dr. Sloans Chimatiro (The Country Director – Zambia & Tanzania WorldFish) respectively. Both projects were jointly implemented by AU-IBAR, NEPAD and WorldFish.

The lessons learnt and gaps from implementation of FishGov 1 and Fish Trade Projects provided the main impetus for the theory of change envisaged in the proposed FISHGOV II Project. It was also informed by the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS), Agenda 2063, the Lomé Charter, 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS), and other relevant global instruments and Initiatives.

The Write-Shop to Compile the Final Draft of the Africa Fisheries Report

The proposed Africa Fisheries Report comprises four sections that provide an overview of the different elements that determine production, productivity and status of development in Africa’s fisheries and aquaculture value-chains, notably:

Small-scale fisheries, Climate Change and resilience; Gender and youth as well as Private sector investment and financing.

The purpose of the document is to disseminate up-to-date information on the status of Africa’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector to support decision-making among policy makers, managers and the private sector.

The drafts of each chapter were independently compiled by selected authors. An expert team of three reviewers (Professors Mafaniso Hara, Professor Paul Onyango and Professor Augustine Falaye) reviewed and compiled these chapters into a single document for eventual circulation as a final draft.

Outcomes of the meeting

A final draft of the FISHGOV II Project proposal that comprised the narrative, logframe and budget of the proposed project, was anticipatorily developed.

A comprehensive final draft of the first Africa Fisheries Report was produced.

Recommendations and way forward

Mr. Rasungu Kennedy Oroko and Dr. Mohamed Seisay were tasked with polishing up the document within the next 10 days of this meeting and sharing the draft with the partners for comments, after which it would be submitted to the Director of AU-IBAR for official submission to the EU.

The partners were urged to share with AU-IBAR their specific management charges that need to be taken into account when finalizing the budget.

Closing of the workshop

Closing remarks were given by Dr. Chimatiro (WorldFish) and Dr. Diop (NEPAD) who reiterated their commitment to the existing collaboration towards realization of the project.

Dr. Simplice Nouala, the Head of the Animal Production Unit, AU-IBAR closed the meeting where he appreciated everyone’s contribution; and urged all partners to do their part in ensuring that good recommendations were provided to the EU in order to further strengthen the funding chances for the project.